The Ripple Effect (Rhiannon's Law #3)(90)

Two of the people I cared for most in my life were gone, taken from me. Like my parents, I was given a whisper in time with each of them, impressions of the past that were precious enough to sustain me and make an imprint long after their departure. Bittersweet memories, the most precious and coveted, meant to last a lifetime.


“Rhia.”


Jennifer’s voice flittered through the chilly breeze, a phantom in my ear. Lifting my head, I saw her spirit in front of me. My heart skipped a beat and my breath caught. This is what she’d have looked like in another time and place. Her blond hair was beautiful, falling in long waves down her back. And her hazel eyes were bright, perfectly sane and rational. Her cheeks were a healthy pink, the glow in her face radiant.

“I’ve missed you,” I cried, sniffing as tears streamed down my face. “I’ve missed you so much, Jenny.”

She smiled, and the effect was stunning. “I missed you too.”

Like Paine, the entire world seemed to come to life when Jennifer smiled, brightened simply by the happiness on her face. Something stirred in my chest: a hope that maybe this was the right thing. Perhaps the two people I loved would be together. In many ways they were alike, having been cut off from the world around them. In Heaven, who knew? Maybe they’d have what they yearned for most. Maybe things would be different.

Jennifer’s smile faded as she turned her head, no doubt hearing the beautiful call of angels. If I was going to ask my question, I had to ask now.

“When I visited, you were always looking out the window.” I swallowed, trying not to strangle myself on the knot forming in my throat. “What were you looking at? What did you see?”

“Heaven,” she whispered, continuing to stare into the distance. “So beautiful.”

There was no way to know if she was answering my question or remarking on what she saw, but when she started walking away from me, I didn’t have it in my heart to stop her. Her visage was one of peace—something I’d never truly seen from her before. She drifted away from me, her lips parting as she opened her arms wide. She smiled—beaming from ear to ear—and started to hum. Then she closed her eyes, moving oh-so carefully, as though she didn’t want to miss a moment—not a single second.

One blink and she was gone. Leaving behind a brisk winter morning, the grass coated with a thin blanket of sparkling, prismatic frost, with the sun glowing over the horizon.

I continued staring at the place she’d stood long after she disappeared, rocking the cold shell that had contained her in my arms, shivering in the freezing morning air. I kissed the top of her head and rubbed my cheek against her tangled hair, enjoying our final moments together, creating a memory I would always remember. There was no hatred, no regret, only acceptance and peace.

Letting her go was the right thing to do. She was in a place where no one would ever hurt her again. She would be able to do all she dreamed, free to spread her new, capable wings and fly. But doing the right thing—as selfless was it was—didn’t necessarily make me feel better. Knowing Jenny was gone—now and forever beyond my reach—and that I had finally lost her, only made my devastation all the more profound.

“Be happy,” I whispered, adding as my final goodbye, “Stay gold.”

Rhiannon’s Law #18: No one asks for their life to change, but it does. The bad things we face are tests created to separate the strong from the weak. Once you’ve found your place—as the savage lion or the tranquil lamb—it’s up to you to take the next step, to decide what comes after. Even if it means destroying everything standing in your path on the road to deliverance.

I let go of one final scream, the harsh sound echoing in the morning air, carrying on the breeze as an endless cry that blended with the wind. Only this one wasn’t a call to the angels, asking them to welcome my sister into their waiting arms. This was a warning to those who would pay for her departure from this world, a promise to all my enemies.

I was coming for them and, Heaven or Hell, I was bringing death with me.





Author’s Note



Dear Reader,

This past year has been full of surprises, heartaches and tribulations. Due to this my schedule had to be pushed back. Fortunately I was able to sit down in January and finish The Ripple Effect.

I wasn’t entirely certain what would happen in the story, although I had a general idea. True urban fantasy is dark, gritty, and emotional. Rhiannon’s journey was never meant to be easy. She continues to evolve and learn as she goes. In any event, I do hope you enjoyed The Ripple Effect. I have not yet started Edge of Darkness (book four in the Rhiannon’s Law series), so there is no sneak peek this time around. For that I apologize. Sales have fluctuated and currently the fate of the series is up in the air. Despite my love of the Rhiannon’s Law series, it continues to be my most heavily pirated work. I publish to make a living. As a mother of four, I have a family to support.

If you’ve experienced Rhiannon’s journey via an outlet that doesn’t support the books financially, it means there is a good chance I won’t continue publishing the series. I’m taking a moment to ask you—here and now—to stop. Don’t distribute my work without permission. If there is no incentive to put in the time, I won’t. It’s not that I don’t care. It’s that I don’t have the luxury of writing stories for free. Simple as that.